Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[entropy]

........................... first, it's called seal slapping... second, f off

[Wild Hoss]

Tsk, tsk. You kiss your boyfriend with mouth?

[entropy]

Randy York?s N-Sider

When Nebraska opens the biggest entrance to its $63.5 million East Stadium Expansion Project this fall, football fans will walk through space that goes well beyond 6,200 new seats and 38 new suites. That?s because 50,000 square feet of this refashioned, modernized Memorial Stadium will be devoted to research, and that exploration of the unknown will feature the ultimate odd couple working hand-in-hand ‒ academics and athletics. University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty, Nebraska Athletics staff and private sector partners will team on innovative health and performance research.

This partnership will mark the first on-campus, shared academic/athletic research facility in the history of intercollegiate athletics. Whether you call it an historic breakthrough or an opportunity of a lifetime, just understand that these two anchor tenants are the result of a unique collaboration that follows a simple but elegant and heretofore unused equation: Academics + Athletics = Innovative Research.

?That?s perfect because that?s what this will be ‒ true innovation coming from two sides that rarely work together ‒ academics and athletics,? said Prem S. Paul, UNL vice chancellor for research and economic development. ?All the stars are lined up for this unique partnership, and we?re delighted to join forces with Nebraska Athletics. Our national reputation in athletics is opening doors for us in academics. I have absolutely no doubt that linking our prestigious academic and athletic programs will create opportunities we?ve never had before. Our college deans are excited, and our faculty is on board. We are prepared to work together with a man who left an incredible athletic legacy to his home state and now has the opportunity to leave an equally incredible academic legacy.?

Paul is referring to Tom Osborne, now serving as Nebraska Athletic Director Emeritus. Nebraska?s Hall-of-Fame football coach and three-term Congressman has been given ?100 percent leadership and accountability to lead the athletic side of this relationship,? said Shawn Eichorst, who succeeded Osborne as athletic director Jan. 3, 2013. ?It was an easy decision to make. Coach Osborne?s vision created this partnership. He has everyone?s trust, and his leadership and guidance will get this joint research effort off the launching pad just like we all want. I wouldn?t want it to happen any other way.?

Building Private Partnerships

Osborne, 75, is eager to see completion of the athletic research area that will be connected to the academic research area. Communication, cooperation and collaboration will be paramount to seize the benefits from research that will feature, among other things, Bryan Heart Institute, which will measure conditioning training designed to improve athletic performance. Known for his pioneering leadership in bringing cutting-edge strength training and nutritional research into the daily lives of his student-athletes, Osborne envisions a more comprehensive approach that can range from psychological research to motion analysis of athletes lifting weights and everything in between.

Osborne also has developed a strong working relationship with Steve Kiene, managing principal at Nebraska Global, a high-tech company which has worked closely with Nebraska Athletics on weight and conditioning training, nutrition, online athlete assessments and biomedical research projects, including on-field, tablet-based concussion diagnostics. ?We?re strong believers in research and economic development,? Kiene said, ?and we?re excited to move some of our best performers into the East Stadium.?

Several performance-related thinkers influenced Osborne?s vision, beginning with former Nebraska women?s soccer assistant coach Wally Crittenden, who developed his UNL master?s of education thesis on the benefits of a Nebraska Sports Institute that would elevate the Huskers? leadership positions in a variety of performance-related areas. Doak Ostergard, director of outreach for the athletic department, used Crittenden?s creative idea to start asking ?What if?? questions regarding possible tenants in the new East Stadium.

David Hansen, then-chair of UNL?s psychology department, was contemplating moving some of his department?s research into the Whittier Research Center, a former junior high building that UNL recently renovated to house interdisciplinary research initiatives. ?What if you moved your group into the East Stadium instead?? Ostergard asked Hansen after a meeting on the potential for collaborative research between academics and athletics. The more Hansen thought about the mutual benefits of crossover research, the more he embraced the idea of moving his research team into the East Stadium.

Another cog in this partnership is Brandon Rigoni, a member of the Nebraska football strength and conditioning staff, who completed his master?s degree at UNL and is now pursuing a doctorate in biopsychology with an emphasis in statistics. His research centers on athletic performance related to the human stress response system.

Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior

Osborne, UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman and Paul worked closely to make this first-ever joint research facility and unique partnership a reality. A key player in the research effort is Dennis Molfese, the Mildred Francis Thompson Professor of Psychology, who will direct UNL?s new Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, a.k.a. CB3. In 2010, UNL recruited Molfese to lead the university?s brain research efforts. Internationally known for his expertise in using brain recording techniques to study the emerging relationships between brain development, language and cognitive processes, Molfese heads the Big Ten/Committee on Institutional Collaboration?s Traumatic Brain Injury Research. Ivy League schools have joined the Nebraska-based effort to study head injuries in sports.

Approved in January by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, CB3 is the linchpin of the East Stadium?s combined research. More than three dozen UNL faculty from several colleges and other campuses are expected to collaborate on research through this broad-based interdisciplinary center, which will employ cutting-edge imaging technology to better understand the biological underpinnings of behavior and performance.

?With CB3, we?re creating an interdisciplinary center for innovative health and performance research that links academics and athletics and ultimately will improve the health and welfare of our nation?s citizens, including our student-athletes,? Paul said.

No one has to tell Osborne the importance of such research. The game of football eagerly awaits research that could supply answers needed to decrease the frequency and the overall impact of football-related injuries. Osborne believes if solutions are not found to correct the alarming trend and severity of increased concussions, the game will be in jeopardy.

The Big Ten/Committee on Institutional Cooperation and Ivy League concussion research initiative is unique in its focus on short- and long-term involvement by athletes who agree to take part. Osborne said it?s not out of the question that Molfese?s team could measure concussions and determine with definitive research what types of helmets could improve the safety of players who wear them.

Envisioning a World-Class Center

With four decades of experience in brain studies and development, Molfese wants UNL to establish an international reputation as a pioneering, world-class interdisciplinary center that investigates the interface between social, biological, behavioral, engineering and neurological issues.

?Putting good people together leads to good things and the creation of two research spaces in Memorial Stadium will be a compelling catalyst for interaction,? Chancellor Perlman said, adding that the opportunity for student-athletes to use the program will provide information that may be more broadly helpful to society than just performance.

Nebraska Global, which will have office space in the East Stadium, is helping Nebraska Athletics design a web-based information portal for parents of student-athletes ? a one-of-a-kind technology tool that will help student-athletes in every phase of their academic/athletic life and also could become a game-changer for recruiting.

Nebraska?s brain research efforts will stretch well beyond student-athletes and could help soldiers as well as citizens. Paul, Osborne and Eichorst envision the East Stadium facility having the potential to become a center of excellence at UNL, with significant impact on funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense and the private sector. CB3 will be the nation?s only facility to simultaneously record certain MRIs, eye-tracking and event-related potentials.

Nebraska in a 'League of Its Own'

?I don?t know of any school in the country undertaking what we are,? Osborne said. ?In athletics, you?re always trying to push the limits of human performance and endurance, and by merging our athletic mission with our academic mission, we can build better relationships, boost our recruiting and retain our top athletes.?

More than four decades ago, UNL?s chancellor asked Tom Osborne to make a choice between coaching football and teaching. If he accepted a job as a professor, he would be groomed to someday become the president of the university. Osborne, of course, chose football, but also made sure he integrated academics with athletics.

Today, in his farewell tour as perhaps Nebraska?s most popular leader, Osborne is enabling a powerful crossover between academics and athletics ? an idea that was buried deep in his heart when he returned to Nebraska to teach a leadership class in UNL?s College of Business Administration. Nearly six years later, Osborne is nurturing an idea whose time has come, an idea in which he?s invested heavily to see it through.

?Tom Osborne has been such a great leader for all of us ? in athletics and academics,? Paul said. ?He listens to our faculty and has brought them on board with objectives and goals they all believe in. We?ve already learned so much from him collectively, and we?re excited to continue working with him and Shawn Eichorst collaboratively. Like Tom, Shawn listens and learns and leads. They?re both interested in the same thing ? getting things done and getting them done right. It?s going to be a great partnership.?

After spending a considerable amount of time in the athletic department in the last year, Molfese gets pumped just thinking about the challenge facing him and his entire team. ?We?re all ready to go out and kick some serious neuro-butt,? he said.




Post Extras:

[entropy]

Happy 76th coach..

[entropy]

Things I know and think I know:

When it comes to basketball history and tradition, the Devaney Sports Center isn't exactly Allen Fieldhouse.

But I'm guessing there are plenty of folks feeling at least somewhat emotional as the Devaney Center winds toward the end of a 37-year run as the home of Husker basketball.

Count me among that crowd.

I'm among thousands in the state who caught the Nebraska men's basketball bug watching games in the arena.

I'm guessing I'm among many folks outside of Lincoln whose fathers pulled them out of weeknight basketball practices to attend Husker games. I caught the bug when I was in junior high in Columbus in the late 1970s and early '80s. I was hooked for good in high school. Those memories to this day help fuel my interest in NU basketball.

Thanks for that, Pops.

Thanks for that, Devaney Center.

The great games in the arena tend to run together in my addled brain. Too many to list. However, the great players always will stand out in my mind, especially the ones I watched in person as a teen, back when I idolized players, before covering games became a job.

My all-time favorite Husker remains 6-foot-7 Andre Smith, who battled valiantly against taller post players. He was undersized but his heart was oversized. He was a rugged inside presence who was creative around the basket -- he averaged 15.1 points from 1977-81.

How many kids in Nebraska emulated Smith establishing position deep in the lane and bulling his way to the rim?

A few opposing players left indelible impressions.

Oklahoma's Wayman Tisdale (1983-85) used his ample rear end to back his way into the lane. The 6-foot-9 Texas native had outstanding touch for a big man. In three games in Lincoln, he averaged 30 points. He had an infectious smile and an enormous presence. You knew you were watching someone special.

Proud to say I was there in 1985 when Ron Kellogg of Omaha, playing for Kansas, made 16 of 19 field-goal attempts -- almost all of them from outside 12 feet. It was a mesmerizing display. I can still hear the crowd's gasps. I'm sure Moe Iba was thrilled. I can still hear him stomping his foot.

(I was an ardent Iba fan. Those "Moe must go" chants made me fighting angry, no kidding).

Speaking of shooters ... How many kids in the Midwest in the early 1980s tried to mimic Missouri guard Jon Sundvold's textbook jump shot?

It's just a building, I know. It's generally nondescript. But if March 6 remains the Nebraska men's final home game (an NIT bid is a possibility), plenty of Husker fans will feel at least a tinge of sadness.

* Nebraska obviously has had its share of talented players since 1976. We plan to roll out our All-Devaney Center teams (men's and women's) in coming days. Feel free to send me your thoughts.

* Yet another example of how much power shoe companies have in college basketball: Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle are the top two players in the nation, according to Rivals.com. Both have strongly considered attending Kansas. One problem: KU is an Adidas school, and the two stars are "Nike players" -- which almost guarantees they'll be playing at a "Nike school." Anyone (besides Bill Self) alarmed by this?

* It was nice catching up last week with Marlon Lucky, one of the most hyped recruits in Nebraska football history. The 26-year-old told me he still follows Husker football closely but stopped following recruiting a couple years ago. Just wasn't for him anymore, he said.

Lucky, now a running back for the Lincoln Haymakers indoor team, obviously was interested in hearing about the two touted running backs in the Huskers' class of 2013. At one point, though, he paused.

"Did they get any defensive linemen?" he said.

Yeah, he does follow the team.

* One thought on the Creighton men's basketball team's recent struggles: The Jays are a veteran-laden squad. Those key experienced players give Creighton an advantage early in the season, especially against younger teams (who might even have more talent). As the season wears on, younger players tend to gain comfort quickly, and life gets much tougher for the old guys. Just a theory.

* Recently watched Humphrey Bogart in "The Harder They Fall." In the 1956 movie, Bogart plays a sportswriter who becomes a boxing promoter (now there's an idea). Fascinating movie, but it shows you some things never change: Boxing remains a sport that can be at once stunningly beautiful and startlingly brutish.

Steven M. Sipple

[entropy]

Freshman of the Week: Nebraska's Shavon Shields.

[entropy]

Nebraska to host volleyball regional at Devaney

Devaney Sports Center
gr07102102A.jpg

Devaney Sports Center

Courtesy Sinclaire Hille

Artist rendering of the South entrance of the Devaney Sports Center, where the Nebraska volleyball team will play beginning in 2013.

21 hours ago • By BRENT C. WAGNER / Lincoln Journal Star
(11) Comments

The excitement for the first season the Nebraska volleyball team will play at the Devaney Sports Center was kicked up a notch with Monday’s news that Lincoln had been chosen as one of the four NCAA Tournament regional host sites this year.

Regional semifinal and final matches will be played Dec. 13-14. The winner of the Lincoln regional will advance to the Final Four in Seattle.

Monday’s news also added a little pressure for the Huskers, who could have at least three freshmen playing big roles this season. Nebraska will need to win in the first and second rounds to assure that the large crowds that the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee is planning on will still have a rooting interest during the second week of the tournament.

Nebraska joins Southern California, Kentucky and Illinois as regional hosts. Teams that earn top-16 seeds in the tournament host the first and second rounds.

It was only 2? months ago that Nebraska hosted a volleyball regional at CenturyLink Center Omaha. At the time, it was thought it would be at least 2015 before Nebraska would get a chance to host a regional again.

The other three regional hosts have known for more than two years they would host in 2013, but Nebraska was a late addition because Florida withdrew its bid. Florida spokeswoman Amanda Brooks said Monday there was a conflict with university graduation that weekend, and that Gainesville hopes to host a regional again.

Kristin Fasbender, the NCAA associate director who oversees the volleyball tournament, said bids were reopened and the committee reviewed all those that were submitted.

“After careful consideration, the committee believed all of the factors that the University of Nebraska had to offer -- the electric atmosphere for the student-athletes, the proven attendance numbers and the revenue potential at the site -- outweighed all other submissions and therefore awarded the regional site to Nebraska,” Fasbender said in an email to the Journal Star.

The last time Nebraska played in a regional in Lincoln was in 2003. After that, Nebraska has taken advantage of its growing fan base and Omaha’s new arena to host a regional or the Final Four in Omaha five times in the past eight years.

Beginning next month, the Devaney Center will undergo a $20 million renovation intended to make it one of the best places to watch a volleyball match in the country, while also allowing the volleyball program to generate more revenue.

Moving the floor seating closer to the court is just one of several steps taken to make sure the Devaney Center retains the intimate and loud atmosphere the NU Coliseum had, while allowing for more than 7,000 fans.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for volleyball here in Lincoln, and it’s great to get to have really big matches in Lincoln, besides the regular matches,” NU coach John Cook said.

Last season, the Huskers lost in the regional final to Oregon in front of 9,382 fans at CenturyLink Center. The other regional finals had crowds of 4,171 (Austin, Texas), 2,842 (West Lafayette, Ind.) and 1,701 (Berkeley, Calif.). Only the Omaha and Austin regionals had host teams in the finals.

Advancing to the regional final this season won’t be easy for the Huskers. Nebraska lost three All-Americans from last season in seniors Lauren Cook, Hannah Werth and Gina Mancuso, and two-year starting libero Lara Dykstra transferred so she could focus on playing sand volleyball at Pepperdine.

Nebraska got a boost in December when second-team All-America outside hitter Kelsey Robinson transferred from Tennessee. The Huskers also have one of the top recruiting classes in the country.

“We’ll take (hosting regionals) when we can get it,” Cook said. “There is no guarantee when you get those things. I know our players will be excited that we have that opportunity. We've still got to get there. We have a lot of work to get there, and we do have a young team.”

The bid cycle for regional and Final Four sites in 2015 and 2016 will begin this summer. Nebraska plans to bid again to host a regional at the Devaney Center.

Reach Brent C. Wagner at 402-473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com.
HERE

[entropy]

[entropy]

[lineygoblue]

red

[THE_WIZARD_]

dead

[entropy]

http://ev9.evenue.net/evenue/linkID=huskers/images/maps/VB_Market_value.pdf

Volleyball donations by seat...

I dropped from the VIP seats to anything lower.. mostly because I wanted 4 additional tickets in the new east club section. Was told today despite several years of donations, I may not get tickets because of the waitlist and nobody gives them up. My mother and mother-in-law are going to be miffed

[entropy]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EUyxd1S5a8"]Nebraska Football Winter Conditioning 2013 - YouTube[/ame]

winter conditioning..

[entropy]

In 2013, 2014 and for as long as Nebraska and Delany wants them to...

http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/022613aac.html

The Administrators Council of the Big Ten Conference has approved the Iowa and Nebraska recommendation to move the Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013 football game to Friday, Nov. 29, and to schedule the annual Hy-Vee Heroes Game on the Friday after Thanksgiving in 2014 (Nov. 28) and beyond. The approval was announced Tuesday by the Big Ten.

The third annual Hy-Vee Heroes Game will take place Friday, Nov. 29, 2013, in Lincoln. Start time and television information will be released at a later date. The teams met on the Friday following Thanksgiving in both 2011 (Lincoln) and 2012 (Iowa City).

"We're excited about playing our annual football game with Nebraska on the Friday after Thanksgiving for a number of reasons," said Gary Barta, UI's director of athletics. "This provides the student-athletes who have already lost the opportunity to spend the holiday at home with their families two days away from football. In addition, the Friday television window provides great exposure for our program. We greatly appreciate the adjustments in schedules that our fans, and those who help us stage the game in Iowa City every other year, will have to make."

The Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes met in the Hy-Vee Heroes Game on Black Friday in each of the past two seasons, with Nebraska winning 20-7 in 2011 in Lincoln and 13-7 last November in Iowa City. Both games were televised by ABC. The Hy-Vee Heroes Game has raised $20,000 for the American Red Cross over the last two years.

Nebraska holds a 28-12-3 advantage in the series. The teams have met just eight times since 1946.

Iowa and Nebraska met eight consecutive years (1891-98) on Thanksgiving Day, with those eight games played in either Omaha or Council Bluffs.

[Mike]

http://ev9.evenue.net/evenue/linkID=...rket_value.pdf

Volleyball donations by seat...

I dropped from the VIP seats to anything lower.. mostly because I wanted 4 additional tickets in the new east club section. Was told today despite several years of donations, I may not get tickets because of the waitlist and nobody gives them up. My mother and mother-in-law are going to be miffed

Everything you just said right here makes my brain hurt.